Fon Iron Fertility Fetish, Based

One flat bar of iron. A rounded cap at the top. A small foot at the base, pinned to its mount. Nothing wasted.

This forged fertility object was made among the Fon peoples of Togo in the 20th century. In Fon practice, forged iron pieces of this kind were kept for use in the household and in shrines, where they were associated with fertility and protection. Eight inches tall, it is a warm rust brown, with fine pitting and the faint marks of hammering along its length. It sits on a black rectangular base.

Spare, vertical, and altogether direct. Subtlety was never the assignment.